Multimedia processing resource with interactive voice response

ABSTRACT

A multimedia processing resource (MPR) includes interactive voice response capabilities. A user may control MPR commands and functions over a telephone interface. For example, through a telephone connection a user may receive a listing of electronic programming guide data, may schedule a multimedia program for recording, or may receive a report related to a multimedia program that is viewed at the present time.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure generally relates to multimedia contentdistribution networks, and more particularly to remotely accessing andcontrolling a multimedia processing resource.

2. Description of the Related Art

Multimedia content may be received over a multimedia contentdistribution network (MCDN) and processed by a multimedia processingresource (MPR) such as a set-top box (STB) for presentation on adisplay. Access and control of MPR features are traditionally performedlocally with a graphical user interface and/or remote control deviceinputs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a representative Internet protocol television (IPTV)architecture for receiving multimedia programs;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of selected elements of a multimediaprocessing resource (MPR), which may be similar to or identical to MPR121 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates selected aspects of an environment in which MPR 121receives user input signals from remote control device 126;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of selected elements of a remote controldevice signal distribution apparatus;

FIG. 5 illustrates selected operations in a method for controlling anMPR through interactive voice response commands;

FIG. 6 illustrates selected operations in a method for distributingsettings among multiple MPRs; and

FIG. 7 illustrates selected operations in a method for distributingremote control signal device commands.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Television programs, video on-demand (VOD) movies, digital televisioncontent, music programming, and a variety of other types of multimediacontent may be distributed to multiple users (e.g., subscribers) overvarious types of networks. Suitable types of networks that may beconfigured to support the provisioning of multimedia content services bya service provider include, as examples, telephony-based networks,coaxial-based networks, satellite-based networks, and the like.

In some networks including, for example, traditional coaxial-based“cable” networks, whether analog or digital, a service providerdistributes a mixed signal that includes a large number of multimediacontent channels (also referred to herein as “channels”), each occupyinga different frequency band or frequency channel, through a coaxialcable, a fiber-optic cable, or a combination of the two. The bandwidthrequired to transport simultaneously a large number of multimediachannels may challenge the bandwidth capacity of cable-based networks.In these types of networks, a tuner within an MPR, television, or otherform of receiver is required to select a channel from the mixed signalfor playing or recording. A user wishing to play or record multiplechannels typically needs to have distinct tuners for each desiredchannel. This can be an inherent limitation of cable networks and othermixed signal networks.

In contrast to mixed signal networks, IPTV networks generally distributecontent to a user only in response to a user request so that, at anygiven time, the number of content channels being provided to a user isrelatively small, e.g., one channel for each operating television pluspossibly one or two channels for simultaneous recording. As suggested bythe name, IPTV networks typically employ IP and other open, mature, andpervasive networking technologies to distribute multimedia content.Instead of being associated with a particular frequency band, an IPTVtelevision program, movie, or other form of multimedia content is apacket-based stream that corresponds to a particular network endpoint,e.g., an IP address and a transport layer port number. In thesenetworks, the concept of a channel is inherently distinct from thefrequency channels native to mixed signal networks. Moreover, whereas amixed signal network requires a hardware intensive tuner for everychannel to be played, IPTV channels can be “tuned” simply bytransmitting to a server an indication of a network endpoint that isassociated with the desired channel.

IPTV may be implemented, at least in part, over existing infrastructureincluding, for example, a proprietary network that may include existingtelephone lines, possibly in combination with customer premisesequipment (CPE) including, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL)modem in communication with an MPR, a display, a program presentationdevice, and other appropriate equipment to receive multimedia contentand convert it into usable form. In some implementations, a core portionof an IPTV network is implemented with fiber optic cables while theso-called “last mile” may include conventional, unshielded,twisted-pair, copper cables.

IPTV networks support bidirectional (i.e., two-way) communicationbetween a subscriber's CPE and a service provider's equipment.Bidirectional communication allows a service provider to deploy advancedfeatures, such as VOD, pay-per-view (PPV), electronic programming guides(EPGs), and the like. Bidirectional networks may also enable a serviceprovider to collect information related to a user's preferences, whetherfor purposes of providing preference based features to the user,providing potentially valuable information to service providers, orproviding potentially lucrative information to content providers andothers.

Some disclosed embodiments implement an interactive voice responsesystem within an MPR. For example, an STB for receiving multimediacontent from an MCDN may include an interactive voice response modulethat receives and processes voice commands received over a telephoneline. The STB may be accessed directly using a dedicated phone number orthrough an extension of a base telephone number. In an exemplaryscenario, a user calls his or her residence where the STB is located,and after a residential gateway or other device answers the call, theuser enters a suffix to be connected to the interactive voice responseenabled STB. The interactive voice response enabled STB may provide theuser with access to controls including reviewing scheduled recordings,setting up a new recording, searching for shows, accessing EPGinformation, learning what is currently being watched, locking orunlocking an STB, adjusting volume settings, changing the channel, andaccessing or using interactive applications.

In one aspect, a disclosed MPR includes a network interface forreceiving multimedia content from an MCDN and a decoder for providingdata based on the received content to a multimedia presentation device(e.g., a television and/or stereo). The network interface may includewired or wireless capability and communicate using IP protocols. The MPRfurther includes a telephone interface and a storage medium (e.g., amagnetic disk drive or solid state memory) with instructions forimplementing a call processing module for receiving a telephone call. Insome embodiments, the MPR includes a user settings module for storingvoice-recognition data for an identified caller. In addition, the callprocessing module may perform caller identification (CID) functions toidentify callers and access the stored voice-recognition data. The callprocessing module may also enable participation in IP basedcommunications sessions, including session initiation protocol (SIP)sessions. Further instructions implement an interactive voice responsemodule for recognizing a command received from a telephone call and acommand conversion module for translating the recognized command to anMPR command. In some embodiments, the interactive voice response moduleincludes instructions for recognizing telephone-based tone commands suchas dual-tone multimedia frequency (DTMF) commands. The interactive voiceresponse module may further include instructions for storing a receivedvoice print, determining whether the received voice print matches astored voice print, and storing the received voice print as a recognizedcommand in response to determining a match.

In another aspect, a disclosed process for controlling an MPR includesanswering a call request, routing a call request to an MPR using anidentifier associated with the MPR to establish a call, and receiving anMPR control request via the call using one or more of voice recognitionand DTMF signaling. The identifier associated with the MPR may be an IPaddress or a telephone number extension, as examples. The disclosedprocess may include prompting a caller to request at least one ofreviewing a scheduled recording and setting up a new recording. A callermay be prompted to request at least one of accessing electronicprogramming guide information and searching for multimedia programs.Alternatively, the caller may be prompted to request identifying amultimedia program currently viewed. The caller may also be prompted torequest changing a lock status of the MPR. For example, the MPR may belocked during the call to prevent access or viewing.

In still another aspect, a disclosed service controls an MPR andincludes receiving an auditory command over a telephone communicationpath, determining whether the auditory command is a voice command ordual-tone multi-frequency signaling command, interpreting the auditorycommand, and executing an MPR command based on the interpreted command.The telephone communication path may include a voice over Internetprotocol (VoIP) network and/or a public switched telephone (PSTN)network.

In other embodiments, a disclosed MPR is enabled to distribute itspresentation settings to other MPRs. In one aspect, a disclosed MPRincludes a processor, a control interface for receiving a presentationsetting, a network interface for communicating with a secondary MPR, anda presentation settings module for communicating the presentationsetting to the secondary MPR. Example presentation settings includecontrast, brightness, tint, sharpness, color, aspect ratio, zoom level,and closed-captioned settings. The network interface may enable the MPRcompatibility with home phoneline networking alliance (HPNA) networks,wireless Ethernet networks, and wired Ethernet networks, as examples.The MPR may further include a permission module for communicatingsecurity credentials to the secondary MPR and verifying rights to adjustpresentation settings of the secondary MPR.

In another aspect, a disclosed process for distributing presentationsettings includes receiving a presentation setting at a primary MPR,storing the presentation setting to a tangible computer readable medium,and transmitting the presentation setting from the primary MPR to asecondary MPR. Transmitting the presentation setting may be over a wiredor wireless Ethernet compatible interface or an HPNA interface, asexamples. In some embodiments, the process includes transmittingpermission data from the primary MPR to the secondary MPR. An example ofpermission data includes security credentials for the secondary MPRverifying that the primary MPR has sufficient rights to affectpresentations settings on the secondary MPR.

In still another aspect, a disclosed service for distributingpresentation settings includes receiving user input indicative of apresentation setting for a primary MPR, storing the presentationsetting, formatting a primary display based on the presentation setting,and transmitting the presentation setting to a secondary MPR responsiveto further user input. In addition, the service includes formatting thesecondary display based on the transmitted presentation setting. In someembodiments, the presentation setting is transmitted by a radiofrequency communication link (e.g., WiFi™ or Bluetooth™).

Some disclosed embodiments relate to forwarding remote control commandsto multiple CPE devices (e.g., MPRs or repeaters). In some embodiments,a repeater in a first viewing area receives an infrared signal with aremote control command from a first remote control device. The repeaterretransmits a signal with the remote control command to a CPE device ina second viewing area. The CPE in the second viewing area may translatethe received remote control command and provide an infrared signal withthe translated remote control command to multimedia program presentationdevices (e.g., a television and a stereo) in the second viewing area. Inthis way, the receiver in the first viewing area acts as a repeater fordistributing remote control commands to the second viewing area and auser may control the program presentation devices in both viewing areas,with a signal remote control command. For example, the user may adjustthe volume, channel selection, mute settings, and power ON functionalityfor program presentation devices in a plurality of viewing areas.

In one aspect, a disclosed remote control system includes a remotecontrol device for transmitting a remote control command via a firstinfrared signal, a repeater for receiving the first infrared signal andretransmitting the remote control command, and a receiver for receivingthe retransmitted remote control command and propagating a secondinfrared signal based on the retransmitted remote control command. Insome embodiments, the retransmitted remote control command is receivedby a remote control device in a second viewing area. Retransmission mayoccur through radio frequency signals. The remote control commandreceived by the repeater may be compatible for a first CPE device, andthe receiver is enabled to translate the retransmitted remote controlcommand for compatibility with a second CPE device. The remote controlcommand may be, for example, a channel selection command, a volumecontrol command, a power ON, or a power OFF command. The remote controlcommands may operate multimedia program presentation devices such astelevisions, MPRs, STBs, and stereos. In some embodiments, the repeateris integrated with a CPE device such as an STB. The receiver thatreceives the retransmitted signal may be integrated with a remotecontrol device.

In another aspect, a disclosed process relates to distributing remotecontrol commands and includes receiving a remote control commandtransported by a first infrared signal in a first multimedia programpresentation location from a first remote control device. The processfurther includes transmitting a forwarding signal based on the remotecontrol command to a second multimedia program presentation location.The forwarding signal is received in the second multimedia programpresentation location and a second infrared signal based on the remotecontrol command is transmitted in the second multimedia programpresentation location. The forwarding signal may be a radio frequencysignal. The process may further include translating the remote controlcommand for compatibility with a CPE device in the second multimediaprogram presentation location. An STB may transmit the forwarding signaland a second remote control device may receive the forwarded signal. Adisclosed repeater for retransmitting the initial infrared signal may bea CPE device communicatively coupled to a local area network through awired or wireless connection.

In still another aspect, a disclosed MPR includes a remote controldevice interface for receiving a remote control command. The MPR furtherincludes a tangible computer-readable medium embedded withprocessor-executable instructions including a command forwarding modulefor forwarding the remote control command. The MPR further includes atransmission interface for forwarding the remote control commands. Thetransmission interface may be a radio frequency interface, a wired localarea network interface, or an HPNA interface. The MPR may furtherinclude a radio frequency receiver for receiving a forwarded remotecontrol command from a transmitting MPR. Accordingly, disclosedembodiments relate to selective retransmission of remote controlcommands.

Below, exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail toenable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the disclosedsubject matter without undue experimentation. It should be apparent to aperson of ordinary skill that the disclosed examples are not exhaustiveof all possible embodiments. Regarding reference numerals used todescribe elements in the figures, a hyphenated form of a referencenumeral may refer to a specific instance of an element and anun-hyphenated form of the reference numeral typically refers to theelement generically or collectively. Thus, for example, element 121-1refers to an instance of an MPR, which may be referred to collectivelyas MPRs 121 and any one of which may be referred to generically as anMPR 121.

MCDN 100, as shown, is a multimedia content provider network that may begenerally divided into a client side 101 and a service provider side 102(a.k.a., server side 102). Client side 101 includes all or most of theresources depicted to the left of access network 130 while server side102 encompasses the remainder.

Client side 101 and server side 102 are linked by access network 130. Inembodiments of MCDN 100 that leverage telephony hardware andinfrastructure, access network 130 may include the “local loop” or “lastmile,” which refers to the physical cables that connect a subscriber'shome or business to a local exchange. In these embodiments, the physicallayer of access network 130 may include both twisted pair copper cablesand fiber optics cables. In a fiber to the curb (FTTC) access network,the “last mile” portion that employs copper is generally less thanapproximately 300 feet in length. In fiber to the home (FTTH) accessnetworks, fiber optic cables extend all the way to the premises of thesubscriber.

Access network 130 may include hardware and firmware to perform signaltranslation when access network 130 includes multiple types of physicalmedia. For example, an access network that includes twisted-pairtelephone lines to deliver multimedia content to consumers may utilizeDSL. In embodiments of access network 130 that implement FTTC, a DSLaccess multiplexer (DSLAM) may be used within access network 130 totransfer signals containing multimedia content from optical fiber tocopper wire for DSL delivery to consumers.

Access network 130 may transmit radio frequency (RF) signals overcoaxial cables. In these embodiments, access network 130 may utilizequadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) equipment for downstream traffic.Also in these embodiments, access network 130 may receive upstreamtraffic from a consumer's location using quadrature phase shift keying(QPSK) modulated RF signals.

Services provided by the server side resources as shown in FIG. 1 may bedistributed over a private network 110. In some embodiments, privatenetwork 110 is referred to as a “core network.” In at least someembodiments, private network 110 includes a fiber optic wide areanetwork (WAN), referred to herein as the fiber backbone, and one or morevideo hub offices (VHOs). In large-scale implementations of MCDN 100,which may cover a geographic region comparable, for example, to theregion served by telephony-based broadband services, private network 110includes a hierarchy of VHOs.

A national VHO, for example, may deliver national content feeds toseveral regional VHOs, each of which may include its own acquisitionresources to acquire local content, such as the local affiliate of anational network, and to inject local content such as advertising andpublic service announcements (e.g., emergency alert system messages)from local entities. The regional VHOs may then deliver the local andnational content to users served by the regional VHO. The hierarchicalarrangement of VHOs, in addition to facilitating localized orregionalized content provisioning, may conserve bandwidth by limitingthe content that is transmitted over the core network and injectingregional content “downstream” from the core network.

Segments of private network 110, as shown in FIG. 1, are connectedtogether with a plurality of network switching and routing devicesreferred to simply as switches 113 through 117. The depicted switchesinclude client facing switch 113, acquisition switch 114,operations-systems-support/business-systems-support (OSS/BSS) switch115, database switch 116, and an application switch 117. In addition toproviding routing/switching functionality, switches 113 through 117preferably include hardware or firmware firewalls, not depicted, thatmaintain the security and privacy of network 110. Other portions of MCDN100 may communicate over a public network 112, including, for example,an Internet or other type of Web network which is signified in FIG. 1 bythe World Wide Web icon 111.

As shown in FIG. 1, client side 101 of MCDN 100 depicts two of apotentially large number of client side resources referred to hereinsimply as client(s) 120. Each client 120, as shown, includes an MPR 121,a residential gateway (RG) 122, a program presentation device 124, and aremote control device 126. In the depicted embodiment, MPR 121communicates with server side devices through access network 130 via RG122.

As shown in FIG. 1, RG 122 may include elements of a broadband modem(e.g., DSL modem or cable modem) and may communicate over wirelessand/or wired interfaces. In addition, RG 122 may have elements of afirewall, router, switch, and access point for local area network (LAN)devices to communicate through wired and wireless (e.g., WiFi™) Ethernetor other suitable networking technologies. In some embodiments, MPR 121is a uniquely addressable Ethernet compliant device. Programpresentation device 124 may be, for example, any National TelevisionSystem Committee (NTSC) and/or Phase Alternating Line (PAL) compliantprogram presentation device. Both MPR 121 and program presentationdevice 124 may include any form of conventional frequency tuner. Asshown, remote control device 126 communicates wirelessly with MPR 121using infrared (IR) or RF signaling. MPR 121-1 and MPR 121-2, as shown,may communicate through LAN 123. LAN 123 may be a wired or wirelessnetwork and may include any communication media or protocol includingwithout limitation WiFi™, RF, and Home Phoneline Networking Alliance.

In IPTV compliant implementations of MCDN 100, clients 120 areconfigured to receive packet-based multimedia streams from accessnetwork 130 and process the streams for presentation on programpresentation devices 124. In addition, clients 120 are network-awareresources that may facilitate bidirectional-networked communicationswith server side 102 resources to support network hosted services andfeatures. Because clients 120 are configured to process multimediacontent streams while simultaneously supporting more traditional Weblike communications, clients 120 may support or comply with a variety ofdifferent types of network protocols including streaming protocols suchas real-time transport protocol (RTP) over user datagramprotocol/Internet protocol (UDP/IP), as well as web protocols such ashypertext transport protocol (HTTP) over transport control protocol(TCP/IP).

The server side 102 of MCDN 100, as depicted in FIG. 1, emphasizesnetwork capabilities including application resources 105, which may haveaccess to database resources 109, content acquisition resources 106,content delivery resources 107, and OSS/BSS resources 108.

Before distributing multimedia content to users, MCDN 100 first obtainsmultimedia content from content providers. To that end, acquisitionresources 106 encompass various systems and devices to acquiremultimedia content, reformat it when necessary, and process it fordelivery to subscribers over private network 110 and access network 130.

Acquisition resources 106 may include, for example, systems forcapturing analog and/or digital content feeds, either directly from acontent provider or from a content aggregation facility. Content feedstransmitted via VHF/UHF broadcast signals may be captured by an antenna141 and delivered to live acquisition server 140. Similarly, liveacquisition server 140 may capture down-linked signals transmitted by asatellite 142 and received by a parabolic dish 144. In addition, liveacquisition server 140 may acquire programming feeds transmitted via ahigh-speed fiber feed or other suitable transmission means. Acquisitionresources 106 may further include signal conditioning systems andcontent preparation systems for encoding content.

As depicted in FIG. 1, content acquisition resources 106 include a VODacquisition server 150. VOD acquisition server 150 receives content fromone or more VOD sources that may be external to the MCDN 100 including,as examples, discs represented by a DVD player 151, or transmitted feeds(not shown). VOD acquisition server 150 may temporarily store multimediacontent for transmission to a VOD delivery server 158 in communicationwith client-facing switch 113.

After acquiring multimedia content, acquisition resources 106 maytransmit acquired content over private network 110, for example, to oneor more servers in content delivery resources 107. Live acquisitionserver 140 is communicatively coupled to an encoder which, prior totransmission, encodes acquired content using for example, Motion PictureExpert Group (MPEG) standards such as MPEG-2, MPEG-4, a Windows MediaVideo (WMV) family codec, or another suitable video codec.

Content delivery resources 107, as shown in FIG. 1, are in communicationwith private network 110 via client facing switch 113. In the depictedimplementation, content delivery resources 107 include a contentdelivery server 155 in communication with a live or real-time contentserver 156 and a VOD delivery server 158. For purposes of thisdisclosure, the use of the term “live” or “real-time” in connection withcontent server 156 is intended primarily to distinguish the applicablecontent from the content provided by VOD delivery server 158. Thecontent provided by a VOD server is sometimes referred to astime-shifted content to emphasize the ability to obtain and view VODcontent substantially without regard to the time of day or the day ofweek.

Content delivery server 155, in conjunction with live content server 156and VOD delivery server 158, responds to user requests for content byproviding the requested content to the user. The content deliveryresources 107 are, in some embodiments, responsible for creating videostreams that are suitable for transmission over private network 110and/or access network 130. In some embodiments, creating video streamsfrom the stored content generally includes generating data packets byencapsulating relatively small segments of the stored content accordingto the network communication protocol stack in use. These data packetsare then transmitted across a network to a receiver (e.g., MPR 121 ofclient 120), where the content is parsed from individual packets andre-assembled into multimedia content suitable for processing by adecoder.

User requests received by content delivery server 155 may include anindication of the content that is being requested. In some embodiments,this indication includes a network endpoint associated with the desiredcontent. The network endpoint may include an IP address and a transportlayer port number. For example, a particular local broadcast televisionstation may be associated with a particular channel and the feed forthat channel may be associated with a particular IP address andtransport layer port number. When a user wishes to view the station, theuser may interact with remote control device 126 to send a signal to MPR121 indicating a request for the particular channel. When MPR 121responds to the remote control signal, MPR 121 changes to the requestedchannel by transmitting a request that includes an indication of thenetwork endpoint associated with the desired channel to content deliveryserver 155.

Content delivery server 155 may respond to such requests by making astreaming video or audio signal accessible to the user. Content deliveryserver 155 may employ a multicast protocol to deliver a singleoriginating stream to multiple clients. When a new user requests thecontent associated with a multicast stream, there may be latencyassociated with updating the multicast information to reflect the newuser as a part of the multicast group. To avoid exposing thisundesirable latency to a user, content delivery server 155 maytemporarily unicast a stream to the requesting user. When the user isultimately enrolled in the multicast group, the unicast stream isterminated and the user receives the multicast stream. Multicastingdesirably reduces bandwidth consumption by reducing the number ofstreams that must be transmitted over the access network 130 to clients120.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a client-facing switch 113 provides a conduitbetween client side 101, including client 120, and server side 102.Client-facing switch 113, as shown, is so-named because it connectsdirectly to the client 120 via access network 130 and it provides thenetwork connectivity of IPTV services to users' locations. To delivermultimedia content, client-facing switch 113 may employ any of variousexisting or future Internet protocols for providing reliable real-timestreaming multimedia content. In addition to the TCP, UDP, and HTTPprotocols referenced above, such protocols may use, in variouscombinations, other protocols including RTP, real-time control protocol(RTCP), file transfer protocol (FTP), and real-time streaming protocol(RTSP).

In some embodiments, client-facing switch 113 routes multimedia contentencapsulated into IP packets over access network 130. For example, anMPEG-2 transport stream may be sent in which the transport streamconsists of a series of 188-byte transport packets. Client-facing switch113, as shown, is coupled to a content delivery server 155, acquisitionswitch 114, applications switch 117, a client gateway 153, and aterminal server 154 that is operable to provide terminal devices with aconnection point to the private network 110. Client gateway 153 mayprovide subscriber access to private network 110 and the resourcescoupled thereto.

In some embodiments, MPR 121 may access MCDN 100 using informationreceived from client gateway 153. Subscriber devices may access clientgateway 153, and client gateway 153 may then allow such devices toaccess private network 110 once the devices are authenticated orverified. Similarly, client gateway 153 may prevent unauthorizeddevices, such as hacker computers or stolen MPRs, from accessing theprivate network 110. Accordingly, in some embodiments, when an MPR 121accesses MCDN 100, client gateway 153 verifies subscriber information bycommunicating with user store 172 via the private network 110. Clientgateway 153 may verify billing information and subscriber status bycommunicating with an OSS/BSS gateway 167, which may translate a queryto the OSS/BSS server 181. Upon client gateway 153 confirming subscriberand/or billing information, client gateway 153 may allow MPR 121 accessto IPTV content, VOD content, and other services. If client gateway 153cannot verify subscriber information (i.e., user information) for MPR121, for example, because it is connected to an unauthorized local loopor RG, client gateway 153 may block transmissions to and from MPR 121beyond access network 130.

MCDN 100, as depicted, includes application resources 105, whichcommunicate with private network 110 via application switch 117.Application resources 105, as shown, include application server 160which is operable to host or otherwise facilitate one or more subscriberapplications 165 that are made available to system subscribers. Forexample, subscriber applications 165, as shown, include EPG application163. Subscriber applications 165 may include other applications as well.In addition to subscriber applications 165, application server 160 mayhost or provide a gateway to operation support systems and/or businesssupport systems. In some embodiments, communication between applicationserver 160 and the applications that it hosts and/or communicationbetween application server 160 and client 120 may be via a conventionalweb based protocol stack such as HTTP over TCP/IP or HTTP over UDP/IP.

Application server 160 as shown also hosts an application referred togenerically as user application 164. User application 164 represents anapplication that may deliver a value added feature to a user, who may bea subscriber to a service provided by MCDN 100. User application 164, asillustrated in FIG. 1, emphasizes the ability to extend the network'scapabilities by implementing a network-hosted application. Becauseapplication 164 may reside on the network, it generally does not imposeany significant requirements or imply any substantial modifications toclient 120 including MPR 121. In some instances, an MPR 121 may requireknowledge of a network address associated with user application 164, butMPR 121 and the other components of client 120 are largely unaffected.

As shown in FIG. 1, a database switch 116, as connected to applicationsswitch 117, provides access to database resources 109. Databaseresources 109 include database server 170 that manages a system storageresource 172, also referred to herein as user store 172. User store 172,as shown, includes one or more user profiles 174 where each user profileincludes account information and may include preferences informationthat may be retrieved by applications executing on application server160 including user applications 165.

Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram illustrating selected elements ofMPR 121 is presented. In the depicted embodiment, MPR 121 includes aprocessor 201 communicatively coupled by bus 202 to storage 210, whichincludes non-volatile memory 235 and main memory 225. Storage 210 isoperable to store instructions, data, or both and may include fixedmedia, removable media, magnetic media, and semiconductor media, asexamples. Storage 210 as shown includes multiple sets or sequences ofinstructions stored on drive media 287 including, operating system 212,DVR system 299, EPG system 298, command translation module 278, commandforwarding module 279, permission module 296, presentation settingsmodule 297, user settings 267, command conversion module 265,interactive voice response module 295, and call processing module 294.Operating system 212 may be a Unix® or Unix-like operating system, aWindows® family operating system, or another suitable operating system.

MPR 121 as depicted in FIG. 2 further includes a networkadapter/interface 220 that interfaces MPR 121 to access network 130(FIG. 1), possibly through a residential gateway (e.g., RG 122 in FIG.1). MPR 121 may receive multimedia content such as television contentfrom access network 130 (FIG. 1). In embodiments suitable for use in IPbased content delivery networks, MPR 121, as depicted in FIG. 2, mayinclude an audio/video (A/V) decoder 230 that assembles payloads from asequence or set of network packets into a stream of multimedia content.The stream of multimedia content may include audio information and videoinformation and A/V decoder 230 may parse or segregate the two togenerate a video stream 238 and an audio stream 236 as shown.

Video and audio streams 238 and 236 may include audio or videoinformation that has been compressed, encrypted, or both. A/V decoder230 may employ any video decoding algorithm including for examplewithout limitation any of the MPEG standards or WMV standards.Similarly, decoder 230 may employ any audio decoding algorithm includingfor example without limitation: Dolby® Digital, Digital Theatre System(DTS) Coherent Acoustics, and Windows Media Audio (WMA). The video andaudio streams 238 and 236 are provided in a format suitable for programpresentation device 124, which itself may not be a part of MPR 121.Program presentation device 124 may comply with NTSC, PAL or any othersuitable television standard. As shown in FIG. 2, MPR includes networkadapter/interface 220 for receiving multimedia content (e.g., movies)from an MCDN (e.g., MCDN 100 in FIG. 1). Decoder 230 produces data basedon the received multimedia content for transport to program presentationdevice 124. Program presentation device 124 may be for example withoutlimitation a television, a display integrated with MPR 121, and a dataprocessing system (e.g., PC) with a monitor. In accordance withdisclosed embodiments, MPR 121 further includes telephone interface 251for receiving telephone calls from users. Telephone interface 251 mayalso be enabled to receive voice input locally from a user, such asthrough a microphone (not depicted) or other voice input device local toMPR 121. In some embodiments, MPR 121 is associated with its owndedicated phone line and corresponding dedicated telephone number. Inaddition, telephone interface 251 may include wireless capabilities forcommunication with cellular telephone networks. MPR 221 may also beassociated with an extension, so that when a user dials into a residenceor business, the user may enter a telephone extension address to berouted to MPR 121. For example, a user may call his or her residence,and in response to a residential gateway answering the telephone call,the user may enter, using a telephone keypad or using voice commands, anextension address such as “1234”.

As shown, MPR 121 includes call processing module 294 which performsfunctions for receiving telephone calls, interactive voice responsemodule 295 which performs functions for recognizing a command receivedfrom the telephone call, and command conversion module 265 whichperforms functions for translating recognized commands to MPR commands(e.g., provide EPG data, provide currently viewed program, etc.).

In some embodiments, interactive voice response module 295 includesinstructions for recognizing telephone based tone commands such as DTMFcommands. Interactive voice response module 295 may further includeinstructions for storing a received voice print, determining whether thereceived voice print matches a stored voice print, and executingrecognized commands for the received voice print if there is a match.User settings 267 may store voice prints and voice recognition data usedby interactive voice response module 295 in recognizing voice commandsfrom callers.

Network adapter/interface 220 may be an IP network interface (e.g., anEthernet interface) that allows communication over wireless (e.g.,WiFi™, or Bluetooth™) and/or wired transmission paths. Call processingmodule 294 may include instructions for participating in an Internetprotocol-based communication session and establishing an SIP session. Insome embodiments, call processing module 294 does not receive atelephone call, but instead functions as a voice session module forreceiving voice input from a user. Further, call processing module 294may include CID instructions for identifying a caller. For example, auser may be associated with a telephone number for an incoming call.When a call is received from the telephone number associated with theuser, call processing module 294 may automatically retrieve voice datafrom user settings 267 for the user. Interactive voice response module295 and/or call processing module 294 further may perform voice analysisto verify the identity of the user. In response to determining theidentity of a caller with CID information and possibly verifying theidentity with voice recognition information, disclosed embodiments mayretrieve voice recognition data from user settings 267 to accuratelyrecognize voice commands from the caller.

Command conversion module 265 converts recognized commands into MPRcommands. Example MPR commands include scheduling a recording, reviewinga scheduled recording, identifying a currently viewed multimediaprogram, changing a lock status of the MPR, changing a channel, andadjusting (e.g., raising, lowering, or muting) an audio volume of amultimedia program presentation. In some embodiments, interactive voiceresponse module 295 provides speech output representative of EPG data.The EPG data may be searchable from spoken user input provided by theuser. For example, a user may speak commands to specify a search of EPGdata for all action movies scheduled to begin broadcast in the next twohours. In response, interactive voice response module 295 recognizesthat the user has requested a search of the EPG. Command conversionmodule 265 accesses EPG data from EPG system 298 and formats the datafor interactive voice response module 295 to provide through synthesizedor pre-recorded speech. Accordingly, interactive voice response module295 provides speech output representative of EPG data.

An embodied process relates to controlling MPR 121 through interactivevoice commands. The process includes receiving and answering a callrequest. The call request may be received by a central call server, forexample, located at a residence. The process includes routing the callrequest using an identifier associated with MPR 121. For example, MPR121 may be associated with a telephone number extension or IP address.The process further includes receiving an MPR control request usingeither voice recognition, dual-tone multi-frequency signaling, or both.For example, an MPR control request to list EPG data may be receivedduring the call. A caller may be prompted to request to review a list ofscheduled recordings, access an EPG, search for multimedia programs,identify a multimedia program currently viewed, change a lock status ofthe MPR, adjust an audio volume of a multimedia program presentation, orchange a channel. The caller may be prompted using synthesized speechprovided by interactive voice response module 295 over telephoneinterface 251.

As shown in FIG. 2 MPR 121 may have functionality for distributing itssettings to a secondary MPR or for receiving presentation settings froma primary MPR. Example presentation settings include contrast,brightness, tint, sharpness, color, aspect ratio, zoom level, andclosed-caption settings. As shown, MPR 121 includes presentationsettings module 297 for communicating, responsive to user input, thepresentation settings of MPR 121 to a remote MPR over one or moreinterfaces including network adapter/interface 220, HPNA interface 253,or RF interface 239. Permission module 296 includes instructions forcommunicating security credentials to the secondary MPR. Permissionmodule 296 may request security credentials from a user of MPR 121 inresponse to the user requesting to transmit the presentation settings tothe remote (i.e., secondary) MPR. As shown, MPR 121 may either transmitits presentation settings to another MPR or receive presentationsettings from another MPR. If MPR 121 is transmitting its presentationsettings, it is referred to herein as the primary MPR. If MPR 121receives presentation settings from another MPR, it is referred toherein as the secondary MPR.

As shown in FIG. 2, MPR 121 is enabled as a primary MPR for transmittingits presentation settings to a secondary MPR. User specifiedpresentation settings may be received by MPR 121 from remote controldevice interface 237. A graphical user interface may be presented onprogram presentation device 124 in response to a user entering asettings mode. Presentation settings for users may be stored in usersettings 267. In some embodiments, a user navigates a graphical userinterface using remote control commands (e.g., up arrow or down arrow)received by MPR 121 through remote control device interface 237.Presentation settings module 297 communicates the presentation settingsto a secondary MPR over network adapter/interface 220.

As shown, FIG. 3 illustrates selected elements of an architecture forimplementing a remote control device signal distribution system. Asshown, remote control device 126-1 transmits a remote control commandvia infrared signal 321. Repeater 309 receives the infrared signal andretransmits the remote control command via RF signal 317 to receiver331. Receiver 331 receives the retransmitted remote control command andpropagates infrared signal 325, which is based on the retransmittedremote control command, to MPR 121-2 and program presentation device124-2. In some embodiments, repeater 309 receives the remote controlcommand transmitted by infrared signal 321 and retransmits the remotecontrol command to remote control device 126-2. In response to receivingthe retransmitted remote control command, remote control device 126-2propagates infrared signal 323 based on the retransmitted remote controlcommand to MPR 121-2 and program presentation device 124-2. In someembodiments, receiver 331 or remote control device 126-2 translatesreceived remote control commands for compatibility with programpresentation device 124-2 and/or MPR 121-2.

In some embodiments, STB 121-1 acts as a repeater for receiving infraredsignal 321 and retransmits a received remote control command using RFinterface 305-1. In turn, the retransmitted remote control command maybe received by STB 121-2 using RF interface 305-2.

As shown in FIG. 3, program presentation device 124-1 is in a firstviewing area 303 and program presentation device 124-2 is in a secondviewing area 333. Viewing areas 303 and 333 may be within the sameresidence or business, for example, but separated by walls that preventinfrared signal 321 from being received by MPR 121-2. As shown, RG 122is located in viewing area 303 and, as shown in FIG. 1, may act tocommunicatively couple MPR 121-2 and MPR 121-1 to access network 130(FIG. 1) for receiving multimedia content from MCDN 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, data processing system 400 may implement one or moreof the functions, methods, or apparatuses disclosed herein. For example,data processing system 400 may be adapted as repeater 309 and/orreceiver 331 in FIG. 3. As shown, data processing system 400 includesstorage 401 with main memory 404, non-volatile memory 406, and drivemedia 422. Drive media 422, as shown, includes instructions 424including operating system 425 and translation module instructions 437.If data processing system is acting as a repeater of remote controlcommands, infrared interface 421 receives infrared signals and radiofrequency interface 422 retransmits the remote control commands based onthe received infrared signals.

As shown, data processing system 400 includes video display 410. Videodisplay 410, in conjunction with user input interface 412, may be usedto configure data processing system 400 to translate received remotecontrol commands for compatibility with certain multimedia programpresentation devices. Signal generation 418 may be a speaker or othersuch device for providing output to signal operation or changes inconfiguration settings of data processing system 400. Translation moduleinstructions 437 may store in drive media 422 translation tables fornumerous CPE devices, and a user may provide an identifier for CPEdevices that are in use to data processing system 400 in an interactiveprogramming session using video display 410 and user input interface 412(e.g., a keyboard). Data processing system 400 may also “learn” remotecontrol codes by a user pointing a factory issued remote control devicefor a CPE device toward infrared interface 421 while remote controlsignals are sent from the remote control device. In addition to radiofrequency interface 422 and infrared interface 421, data processingsystem 400 includes MPR interface 420, which may be a wired or wirelessinterface for communicating directly with an MPR. For example, MPRinterface 420 may includes a wired connection for retransmission ofreceived remote control commands.

FIG. 5 illustrates selected operations of method 500 for controlling anMPR using an interactive voice response system. As shown, method 500includes receiving (block 502) a call request and routing (block 504)the call request to an MPR using an identifier associated with the MPR.For example, the identifier may be an IP address. The method furtherincludes establishing (block 506) a call with the MPR and prompting(block 508) the user for a command request. For example, the method mayinclude prompting a user to request EPG data by pressing 1, promptingthe user to search for a multimedia program by pressing 2, and the like.If a voice command is recognized (block 510) the recognized command isinterpreted (block 514) and translated to an MPR command. If a dual-tonemulti-frequency command is recognized (block 512), the recognizedcommand is interpreted, translated to an MPR command, and the methodreturns to prompt (block 508) the user for further command requests. Ifneither a voice command nor dual-tone multi-frequency command isrecognized (block 512), the method returns to prompt (block 508) theuser for further command requests.

Referring now to FIG. 6, selected operations of method 600 fordistributing presentation settings from a primary MPR to a secondary MPRare illustrated. As shown, method 600 includes receiving (block 602) apresentation setting at a primary MPR, storing (block 604) thepresentation setting, and adjusting (block 606) local presentationoutput based on the received presentation setting. For example, as shownin FIG. 2, a user may request, through remote control device interface237, to adjust the brightness shown on program presentation device 124.Accordingly, the user, through a graphical user interface for example,provides user input to increase the brightness. The brightness settingsare stored in presentation settings module 297 and used to adjust thebrightness of a program displayed on program presentation device 124. Inturn, processor 201 and decoder 230 affect brightness settings providedwith video stream 238. Alternatively, brightness settings received byMPR 121 may be transmitted to program presentation device 124 toeffectuate a change in brightness. In some embodiments, MPR 121 andprogram presentation device 124 are integrated into a single CPE deviceand display settings for program presentation device 124 are controlledby presentation settings 297.

As shown in FIG. 6, method 600 includes receiving (block 608) user inputto distribute the presentation settings of a primary MPR (e.g., MPR 121in FIG. 2). For example, user input to distribute the presentationsettings may be made by navigating a graphical user interface orpressing a “distribute settings” button on a remote control device. Inresponse to the user input, method 600 includes establishing (block 610)communication with a secondary MPR. For example, a communication sessionwith a secondary MPR may be established over a network interface (e.g.,WiFi™ or Bluetooth™), HPNA interface, or a radio interface. In someembodiments, the secondary MPR may request security credentials from theprimary MPR. If security credentials are accepted (block 612),presentation settings are transmitted (block 614) to the secondary MPR.If security credentials are not accepted (block 612), the requestor isnotified (block 616).

FIG. 7 illustrates selected operations in method 700 for distributingremote control commands. As shown, method 700 includes receiving (block700) a remote control command transported by a first infrared signal ina first area. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, repeater 309 receives aremote control command transported by infrared signal 321 which istransmitted by remote control device 126-1. Method 700 further includestransmitting (block 704) a forwarding signal based on the receivedremote control command. As shown in FIG. 3, repeater 309 transmits RFsignal 317 to receiver 331. RF signal 317 is a forwarding signal that isbased on the remote control command issued by remote control device126-1. Method 700 further includes receiving (block 707) the forwardingsignal in a second area. As shown in FIG. 3, RF signal 317 is receivedin area 333. A determination is made (operation 708) whether CPE devicesin the second area require translation of the forwarded remote controlcommand. As shown in FIG. 3, receiver 331 may determine whether MPR121-2 or program presentation device 124-2 need a translation of thereceived signal. If so, method 700 includes translating (block 710) theforwarding signal and transmitting (block 712) a signal based on theforwarded remote control command to the CPE devices in the second area.Translation may include converting remote control codes forcompatibility with the CPE devices in the second area. If no translationis needed, the forwarded signal may be retransmitted as an infraredsignal and sent to the CPE in the second area. As shown in FIG. 3,receiver 331 receives forwarding signal 317 and provides infrared signal325 to MPR 121-2 and program presentation device 124-2.

To the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the presentdisclosure is to be determined by the broadest permissibleinterpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shallnot be restricted or limited to the specific embodiments described inthe foregoing detailed description.

1. A multimedia processing resource (MPR) comprising: a networkinterface for receiving multimedia content from a multimedia contentdistribution network; a decoder for producing data based on the receivedmultimedia content to a program presentation device; a voice inputinterface; a tangible computer readable medium with processor executableinstructions including: voice session module instructions for receivingvoice input; interactive voice response module instructions forrecognizing a command received from the voice input; and commandconversion module instructions for translating the recognized command toan MPR command.
 2. The MPR of claim 1, wherein said voice inputinterface is a telephone interface.
 3. The MPR of claim 2, wherein saidvoice session module instructions include instructions for receiving atelephone call.
 4. The MPR of claim 2, wherein said interactive voiceresponse module instructions include instructions for recognizingtelephone based tone commands.
 5. The MPR of claim 2, wherein saidinteractive voice response module instructions include instructions forrecognizing dual-tone multi-frequency commands.
 6. The MPR of claim 1,wherein said interactive voice response module instructions includeinstructions for: storing a received voice print; determining whetherthe received voice print matches a stored voice print; and responsive toa match based on said determining, executing a recognized command forthe received voice print.
 7. The MPR of claim 1, wherein the networkinterface is an IP network interface.
 8. The MPR of claim 7, wherein thenetwork interface includes a wireless interface.
 9. The MPR claim 1,wherein said voice session module instructions include instructions forperforming an Internet protocol based communication session.
 10. The MPRof claim 9, wherein said performing includes establishing a sessioninitiation protocol session.
 11. The MPR of claim 1, wherein said voicesession module instructions include caller identification instructionsfor identifying a caller.
 12. The MPR of claim 11, further including:user settings module instructions for storing voice recognition data forthe identified caller.
 13. The MPR of claim 1, wherein the MPR commandis at least one of scheduling a recording, reviewing a scheduledrecording, identifying a currently viewed multimedia program, changing alock status of the MPR, changing a channel, adjusting a video quality ofa multimedia program presentation, and adjusting an audio volume of amultimedia program presentation.
 14. The MPR of claim 1, wherein saidinteractive voice response module instructions include instructions forproviding speech output representative of electronic programming guidedata.
 15. A process for controlling a multimedia processing resource(MPR), the process comprising: answering a call request; routing thecall request using an identifier associated with the MPR; establishingthe call with the MPR; receiving an MPR control request using one ofvoice recognition and dual-tone multi-frequency signaling.
 16. Theprocess of claim 15, further comprising: prompting a caller to requestat least one of reviewing a scheduled recording and setting up a newrecording schedule.
 17. The process of claim 15, further comprising:prompting a caller to request at least one of accessing electronicprogram guide information and searching for multimedia programs.
 18. Theprocess of claim 15, further comprising: prompting a caller to requestidentifying a multimedia program currently viewed.
 19. The process ofclaim 15, further comprising: prompting a caller to request changing alock status of the MPR.
 20. The process of claim 15, further comprising:prompting a caller to request at least one of adjusting an audio volumeof a multimedia program presentation, adjusting an image quality of amultimedia program presentation, and changing a channel.
 21. The processof claim 15, wherein routing the call request includes routing the callrequest using an Internet protocol address associated with the MPR. 22.The process of claim 15, wherein the MPR identifier is a telephonenumber extension.
 23. A service for controlling a multimedia processingresource (MPR), the service comprising: receiving an auditory commandover a telephone communication path; determining whether the auditorycommand is a voice command or a dual-tone multi-frequency signalingcommand; interpreting the auditory command; and executing an MPR commandbased on the interpreted auditory command.
 24. The service of claim 23,wherein the telephone communication path includes a voice over Internetprotocol network.
 25. The service of claim 23, wherein the telephonecommunication path includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN).